Established by the Augusta Garden Club in 1946, the Elizabeth Seymour Rawlinson Collection at the Staunton Public Library memorializes a former member who was not only an able gardener but also editor for many years of the Garden Club of Virginia’s Garden Gossip.
the collection
over 165 books
Each year, the Augusta Garden Club donates books to the library to raise awareness in the community about conservation, plants, shrubs, trees, flower arranging, and the joys of gardening.
Recent Additions
The Rawlinson Collection includes over 165 books, but here are some of the most recent additions we’ve made.
The Pollinator Victory Garden
Kim Eierman
Living Floral
Margot Shaw
Plant Parenting
Leslie Halleck
Bee to Honey
Sarah Ridley
Albemarle
Avery Chenoweth
What a Waste
Jess French
National Geographic Kids Look and Learn: In My Garden
Let it Grow: A Frozen Guide to Gardening
Cynthia Stierle
Green Bean
Patricia Thomas
Green Gardening: Fun Experiments to Learn, Grow, Harvest, Make and Play Garden Lab for Kids
Renata Fossen Brown
DIY Flower Arranging for Kids (Book 1)
Mercedes Sarmini
Martha's Flowers
Martha Stewart and Kevin Sharkey
National Geographic Readers: Seeds to Plant
in memory of
Elizabeth Seymour Rawlinson
Like her mother, Elizabeth was a member of the Augusta Garden Club and the two women used Herringstone as a horticultural experimental station. Much of their work can still be seen today in the trees, shrubs, and flowers that continue to grow there. Elizabeth’s obituary noted that the grounds of Herringstone contained “many rare and beautiful plants and shrubs as a result of her skill and knowledge.”
Read more about Elizabeth Rawlinson in this article from the Virginia Native Plant Society.